When Innocence Died
by shady stays gold
Summary: She thinks it'd all be fine if not for the riot. Before that, she was innocent little Bonnie. Bonnie, with her curious birthmark and the smile on her face that her parents loved. If not for the riot, she'd still be perfectly innocent. But now she's been present to all the horrible things she thinks the world could possibly offer. *For the monthly oneshot challenge at C/P forum*


**Hey, this is cursed to curse with another oneshot for you! This is for Tigerlils's prompt "Innocence" in Caesar's Palace forum. Just because this is for a prompt doesn't mean it sucks dick!**

**I would love reviews for this, because I've never written about Bonnie and Twill before.**

**And shit! Shit, shit, shit! I reloaded this page and my most awesome part didn't save. :(**

**And no- I could NOT resist the Eminem quote. **

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"And when I'm gone, just carry on, don't mourn  
Rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice  
Just know that I'm looking down on you smiling  
And I didn't feel a thing, So baby don't feel no pain  
Just smile back"

-Eminem, from "When I'm Gone"

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Bonnie stumbled through the woods after Twill, occasionally tripping over the hem of her too-long pants. "Wait!" she calls to Twill. "I think I see a deer!" Twill pauses.

"We don't need it, Bonnie," says Twill gently to the girl. "Katniss gave us food."

"But it's running out!" Bonnie insists, wringing her hands in frustration. Unfortunately, she says it so loud that she scares off the tawny blotch in the distant horizon that may or may not be a deer.

"Bonnie!" says Twill frustratedly. "Now it's gone!"

Bonnie is taken aback. Never before has Twill yelled at her.

Twill looks at her again and sees her huddled against a tree in the cold snow. Baggy Peacekeeper uniform. Broken branch for a crutch to walk with. She looks so innocent. So young.

"I'm sorry," says Twill. "I'm only hungry. Just like you are." She ruffles the girl's hair and manages a shaky smile.

Snow is everywhere. Falling from the pure-white sky. On the bumpy, branch-covered ground. Fluffy, white snow. Normally it would be beautiful, but Bonnie is so cold. She looks up at the snow and remembers.

She and her friends used to catch snowflakes on their tongues. She would lie in the snow, making snow angels so deep that the stone-paved sidewalk she was lying on would show through and make tiny tears on her already tattered coat. She would have her mouth open, eyes open, staring at the snow gleefully, laughing. She would let the snow fall in her mouth and she would let it melt on her tongue. She would carefully raise her black mitten and look at the pretty patterns of the snowflakes.

She would play in the snow all day. She would have snowball fights and build snow forts and play Hunger Games with her friends until Peacekeepers told them to go in their houses and stop. Only in their Hunger Games, the Capitol always decided that killing people was very wrong. They would change the rules so the Games was nothing more than a fight over food in a public arena. That's all it was, in their innocent eyes.

Now Bonnie is in the middle of a cold, snowy forest somewhere between District Twelve and District Thirteen. She wants it to end. She wants to pretend that the rioting didn't happens. She wants to pretend nobody was dead. She wants to pretend that the bombing never happened. She wants impossible things.

She thinks it'd all be fine if not for the riot. Before that, she was innocent little Bonnie. Bonnie, with her curious birthmark and the smile on her face that her parents loved. If not for the riot, she'd still be perfectly innocent. But now she's been present to all the horrible things she thinks the world could possibly offer.

She trudges through the woods after Bonnie. Their food dwindles to only three cheese buns after dinner. She looks at Twill, scared. "Twill?" she asks.

"What is it?" asks Twill.

"We're not going to make it, are we," Bonnie says quietly. It's not a question, not at all. Twill stops and thinks about something. Bonnie can see the conflicting emotions on her face. Then Twill swallows.

"No, I don't think we are," Twill answers her. Bonnie's face crumples in realization and sadness.

She should've known it all along. She's injured and just a girl. Twill is grief-stricken about the loss of her husband. There was no possible way they'd make it.

"But we still have food, don't we?" asks Bonnie, shivering as snow seeps into her holey shoes. Twill hesitates again. She's never told Bonnie about how much food they have left. She thinks it best if she doesn't know.

"Not enough, Bonnie," says Twill finally. "Not nearly enough." Her stomach is rumbling as she speaks. She's so hungry. She's so tired. She wants to stop and rest, but she knows that if she sleeps, she'll freeze to death and never wake up.

Suddenly, Bonnie limps forward and hugs Twill tight to her. "Thank you so much," Bonnie whimpers as she cries. "I wouldn't be here if you weren't here." She sniffles. "I love you." Tears are starting to form in Twill's eyes.

"I love you too, Bonnie," Twill whispers. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving you."

* * *

Later that night, Bonnie is sitting by their small fire, guarding them from any wild animals. She's sitting sentry. Her and Twill figure they'll be fine if they only sleep for an hour or so.

But Bonnie didn't realize that five minutes could be all that it takes.

She shivers, even by the fire, as the cold wind cuts through her skin. She tries to warm her hands, but she doesn't dare to take them out of her mittens. Finally, her sentry shift is over. Twill sleeps by a tree only five yards or so away.

Bonnie walks back to Twill, limping in the snow, stumbling over branches. She walks over to the tree Twill is leaning against and shakes her shoulder.

"Time for y-" she starts. Then she sees Twill's eyes wide open. Bonnie takes a step backward. "Twill?" She shakes her again, tentatively. Twill's head lolls to the side. "Twill!" Bonnie cries. "Twill! Wake up! Wake up!" Tears are streaming down her face. "Wake up! Please! You told me you wouldn't leave me! Wake up!" Bonnie is trembling as she feels for a pulse and finds none. "YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME!" she screams into the dark. "Oh, Twill, Twill, Twill..."

She's crying as she lies next to Twill. She wraps her arms around Twill's body as if to keep her warm. She lays her head down on Twill's shoulder. "I love you," she whispers.

Only a few minutes later, it's over. If it was the Hunger Games, there'd be a cannon. And then a hovercraft would pick up Bonnie and Twill, Bonnie still hugging her. Twill never leaving Bonnie. They're together. Frozen together with Bonnie's frozen tears. Together forever.

If not for the riot, true, none of that would've happened. But it happened. The Capitol bombed the factory. Bonnie's family died. Twill's family died. They left District Eight and ran to the woods. They met Katniss Everdeen. They nearly got to Thirteen. Twill froze to death that night, and less than an hour later, Bonnie froze with her.

Before, Bonnie was catching snowflakes, running around the town square. The picture of innocence embodied in a young girl.

Now she's seen people she loved die. She's endured hunger and freezing to death. And even if she was alive, her innocence would be gone forever.

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**This seemed pretty good to me. I really want to know what you think about it, though! I'd love reviews! :)**


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